NJ ‘deathh driver’ is s charged
Crash a ‘homicide’de’
The school-bus driver at the wheel during last week’s fatal New Jersey crash has been charged, officials announced Thursday.
Hudy Muldrow Sr., 77, of Woodland Park, NJ, was hit with two counts of reckless vehicular homicide/death by auto for the May 17 crash on I-80 in Mount Olive, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Muldrow was one of three bus drivers for the Paramus School District that day taking fifth-graders and teachers from the East Brook Middle School to historic Waterloo Village, in Byram, NJ.
His bus was struck by a dump truck while he was allegedly attempting an illegal U-turn shortly after 10 a.m.
Jennifer Williamson, 51, a social-studies teacher at the school, and 10-year-old student Miranda Vargas were killed in the crash, which also injured more than 40 people.
Muldrow and the two other buses missed a turn that would have taken them to Waterloo Village.
The other buses rerouted and arrived safely at their destination.
Muldrow, meanwhile, attempted the illegal U-turn by veering the bus “to the left in an apparent attempt too gain access to the official-al-use-useonly access point locatedted be-between the East and West-Westbound lanes of Route 80,” ac-according to the prosecutor’scutor’s office.
The bus “was positionedoned in an almost perpendicularlar di-direction in relation toto the lanes of travel on Routeute 80 Westbound,” officials said.
That’s when it was hit by the dump truck travelingling in the center lane of the three-threelane highway.
The impact was so severe,severe, the bus’s body detachedd from the chassis.
According to the prosecu-osecutor’s office, Muldrow “is al-alleged to have recklesslyy oper-operated Bus #2, thereby causingausing the deaths of” Williamsonamson and Miranda.
“At this time, the investiga-estigation into this incidentnt re-remains active and ongoing,ngoing, and additional chargess may be sought in the future,”ure,” the prosecutor’s officeffice said.
Muldrow, who was hurturt in the crash, was beinging held at the Morrisrris County Correctional Fa-Facility pending his firstst court appearance,e, which is scheduled foror Friday at the Morrisorris County Courthouse.